Crossed leg serving stand



April 26, 1949. D HME T 4 2,468,547

CROSSED LEG SERVING STAND Filed Aug. 30, 1945 fbbl 14 ATTOENE K Patented Apr. 26, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in collapsible supports, or stands, such as are used for trays in hotels and larger households, and for trunks, etc.; the said stands may in like manner be used as a support for improvised table tops at garden parties, or other occasions.

The essence of the invention is to the effect that said stands, which are collapsible, may be adjusted in a secure manner to different widths, thus having a large scope of usefulness.

The said adjustments are accomplished through means adapted to lengthen or shorten the members connecting the upper parts of the legs of the stand, as will be hereinafter further described.

As my device is comparatively simple of construction, the cost of manufacturing should be proportionately low.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention consists of the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, and in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all views, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view, showing one form of a collapsible stand in a non-collapsed position, embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l, but showing the legs of said stand further extended, by means of my device.

Figure 3 is a top plan view, with parts broken off, illustrating the locking mechanism for the extension means.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure l, but showing a modification of my said locking mechanism; while Figure 5 is a transverse sectional View, taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a detail view of said latter locking mechanism.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Figure 1 shows a serving stand, having the usual two pairs of legs, of which one pair I0 is shown, while the other pair, which is situated in a plane behind the first one, is not shown; each pair of legs are pivotally connected as at I I, while transverse bars I2 connect the pairs together at the bottom; said pairs are also at their top connected by cross bars I3.

This is the rather conventional construction of serving stands, and has nothing particularly to do with my invention.

Two similar members I4, of which one is shown, are secured to said cross bars by hinges I5; each of said members has a plurality of sections IE, IT, I8and I9, which may be of any suitable material, for instance, wood, hingedly connected as at 20, 2i and 22; said members I4 are adapted for use in extending the width of the stand, as shown in Figure 2; or, if a shortened width of said stand is desired, some of the sections, as shown herein I! and I8, may be folded upon each other, as illustrated in Figure 1; while in this instance an angularly bent clamping member 23, pivotally mounted upon one of the sections as at 24, securely holds said folded sections together.

In the modification shown in Figure 4, we are again only concerned with the means for regulating the width of a serving stand, while the general construction as to the legs, or pair of legs, remains the same.

In said Figure 4 the conventional two straps I4 (of which only one is shown herein) are extended between the cross bars I3 to which they may be secured in any suitable manner.

The other parts of the modified construction of the stand shown in Figure 4 are, as far as they are alike to the parts shown in Figure l, numbered, the legs IE1; the pivotal connection II; and the cross bars I2.

A locking mechanism 25, specific to the modification shown in Figure 4, comprises two bars 26 spaced apart, as shown in Figure 6; said bars are rigidly secured together in any convenient manner at several places, such, for instance, as

at 21 and 28; only approximately one half of the said bars being shown herein, while the other half, which is in every respect similarly constructed, has been broken off.

The said bars 26 are also secured together by slotted bracers 29 held by screws 30, thus permitting of a horizontal extension of said bars,

A member 3I, formed with notches 33, extends in a downward direction from the rods 26, to which it is rigidly secured as at 32.

A bracket 34 comprises a somewhat cylindrical, horizontally disposed, inwardly extending section 35; said bracket has its outer part formed into a three-sided depending portion 35 adapted to slide up and down upon the member 3i; the lower end of the outer side of the three-sided portion terminates at the bottom thereof in a hook 3! adapted to engage one of the notches 33 in the member 3 I.

The section 35 has a disk, or annular protuberance 38 formed upon the inner end thereof to secure the retention of a strap 14', when the latter after passing between the crosswise arranged connections 21 and 28 of the spaced bars and between said bars, is passed over the section 35.

A spring 39 secured to the bracket 34, and substantially covering the side or space left open in the three-sided depending portion 36, will hold said bracket 34 in proper position and will only give enough to permit the three-sided portion 36 to move out far enough, as the latter is fulcrumed at its top, to cause a shifting of the hook 31 to another notch 33.

The rods 26 are at the top formed with rounded portions 40, shown in dotted lines, where the strap It passes over said rods.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts, as shown, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not, therefore, wish to limit myself to the exact construction and arrangement shown and described herein.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A serving stand comprising two pairs of legs, the legs of each pair being pivotally and substantially centrally connected together, cross bars connecting the upper ends of the legs of one pair with the upper ends of the legs of the other pair, two straps arranged between said cross bars, and a locking mechanism for adjusting the length of said straps, said locking mechanism consisting of two bars spaced apart and adapted to receive said straps therebetween near each end thereof, said bars being formed with rounded portions at the places of contact with said straps; two members depending from and rigidly secured one to each end of said bars, said members being formed with notches upon the outer side thereof, and a horizontal slidable bracket arranged on each of said members, said brackets being adapted to have said straps passed around them, a circular disk at the inner end of each bracket to keep the strap in place upon the latter, and means arthe legs of each pair being pivotally connected together between their ends, cross bars connecting the upper ends of the legs of one pair with the upper ends of the legs of the other pair, two straps arranged between said cross bars, and a locking mechanism for adjusting the length of said straps; said locking mechanism consisting of two bars spaced apart to receive said straps therebetween near each end of the bars, the latter being formed with rounded portions at the places of contact with'said straps, two members depending from and rigidly secured one to each end of said bars, said members being formed with notches upon the outer side thereof; and a horizontal positioned, slidable bracket arranged on each of said members, said brackets being adapted to have said straps passed over them, an annular enlargement at the inner end of each bracket to keep the strap in place upon the latter, each bracket being formed with a three-sided depending portion, the outer side of the latter having a bend at the lower end thereof adapted to engage the notches in the respective member, and a spring fixedly secured beneath each of said brackets, whereby to permit a shifting of said bend for engagement with different notches.

GENHARD DUHMERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

